REVENGE OF THE SITH

Part III – To All Things, A Beginning

Csilla.

Revan had never been to an ice planet before, but that was where he found himself when his shuttle over stepped the boundries of the Outer Rim and drifted in to the Unknown Regions.

Of course when asked, he would say he was concerned with the large dark mass that seemed to hover near the planet, when in reality, he had stumbled upon it and became worried. He sensed the dark energy within the area and it seemed to stem from the black cloud.

That’s when his instruments failed.

The shuttle felt like it had taken a hit to the middle and Revan found himself trying to get his systems back online, to no use. He had a brief flashback of the Ebon Hawk going down over the waters of the Rakatan planet and he wondered if the world he’d be crashing on had some technology that would bring down ships.

He managed to straighten out so he wasn’t going into a dive and was able to control the harsh landing somewhat. The bottom skidded across the ice and Revan wondered if he would survive the crash, just to drown in icy waters.

It seemed he would die that day, as the shuttle hit a weak patch of ice and lodged itself within. Revan quickly gathered his wits about him, as well as his belongings and went to open the hatch.

It wouldn’t budge.

Something seemed to be blocking it and as Revan tried with all his might, the cold water began to seep into the ship.

“Damn it!” he cursed, removing one of his lightsabers and slashing at the door. He managed to kick the charred remains and escape, but he still wasn’t out of the water, so to speak.

When he looked around, he could see nothing but ice and glaciers and he could feel the biting cold winds. He wasn’t prepared for anything remotely like this and the thought of his demise on this unknown planet again worried him.

He took a few steps from the shuttle, watching as it began to slowly sink. But as he took another step, the ice gave way; the impact of the shuttle had caused the ice around it to crack and become unstable and Revan had just tested this theory.

The water was like nothing he had ever felt, its coldness stinging his body through his clothing. Though he had been a swimmer at one time, the young knight couldn’t swim through this and that panicked him.

And in his panic, he began to thrash about the waters, trying to get a hold on something that could save him and finding nothing.

Soon, his struggles became sluggish and he couldn’t seem to keep his head above the water…

He didn’t know how long he had slept, but when he awoke, he was in a warm bed and there were lights all around him. Revan was confused. Where was he? His answer came in the form of a young man, with light blue skin and long black hair tied in a ponytail.

When he saw that Revan was awake, he smiled at the young knight, his red eyes sparkling like rubies. He said something in a language Revan didn’t understand – which was saying something as he knew just about every language spoken in the galaxy.

The man brought over a tray and set it down on a nearby table. “I’m sorry.” he said, turning to look at Revan. “I forget that most sentients do not understand our language. Are you all right?”

“I’m…not sure.” Revan said, his voice gravelly. “Am I dead?”

“You are very much alive, stranger.” the blue skinned man laughed. “Though you were barely clinging to life when my people found you. Again, I apologise. I am Darath and you are on the planet Csilla, the homeworld of the Chiss.” He then handed Revan a glass full of liquid, which the knight took gratefully.

“I thank you for saving me, Darath,” he replied, after drinking from the glass. “My name is Jayden, by the way. Jayden Korr.”

“It is good to meet you, Jayden Korr.”

“Csilla…” Revan murmured. He looked again at his surroundings; he seemed to be in the bedroom of a house, the walls nicely tanned and lights aglow. He definitely felt warm, which made him wonder how he got here.

“What is this place?” he asked. “How did it get so warm?”

Darath chuckled. “You have many questions, Jayden Korr, but you still need to recover. Eat and drink all that is on the tray and when you feel you have your strength, venture out into our city. I will have the answers you seek.” He bowed slightly before leaving the way he came.

The young knight paused before giving into his hunger and thirst. When he had finished, he stood to test himself and found he did feel better, although slight disoriented, he was alive. Picking up the tray, he headed out of the room and found himself on a clay street.

There were small huts all around, as well the same blue skinned, red eyed species that were known as the Chiss. There was a middle center, where a large fire sat, with several members of the village.

He saw Darath wave him over and he complied by walking towards the circle. The others immediately turned to the arrival of their visitor, the blue faces a sea of an ocean, where as the eyes completely threw him off guard.

He noticed Darath was talking to an elder man in the language of the Chiss. The elder man nodded, looking at Revan and nodding for him to sit besides him.

“This is Drauir’o.” Darath said. “He is the current leader of our people. *Grandfather, this is the one that was saved from the ice above.*” The elder again nodded at Revan.

“I am Hrtyh’mo Drauir’o Sabosen.” the elder replied. “My grandson tells me that you had a wreck on the ice surface above us.”

“Above us?” Revan asked. “You mean we’re underground? But how can that be? And why is it warm down here and cold up there? Why…?” The knight stopped his ramblings when he heard some of the Chiss chuckle and laugh, especially the children that were around. He blushed in embarrassment.

“Sorry.” he sputtered. “I tend to be a bit…noisy sometimes.”

Drauir’o laughed as well. “You are curious.” he said. “That is not uncommon for someone who finds themself on an unknown world, surrounded with creatures he has never seen. I am one of the leaders of our people, though we do not believe in stating that fact. I have lived for many a time, perhaps I can answer your questions.

“As for the differences, yes, we are underground, in a sense. We are technically under the ice. Centuries ago, when the glaciers began to melt and form the ice that you saw, the ancestors moved underneath it, to the warmth of the center.

“This is a normally warm planet, but as I said, the ice prevents anyone from living there, so…There are four sections of the planet, in order to notate the four houses that govern. We have travel routes that allow us to pass across to the other sections.

“The house of Sabosen, which is the area that you find yourself, is responsible for the social issues of our people, such as justice, health, and education. We Chiss normally do not welcome outsiders into our village, but…there is something about you, Jayden Korr and certainly your interest is greatly intriguing to one that enjoys the subject of knowledge.”

Revan nodded. “Your compliment humbles me, Drauir’o.” he replied. He looked around him once more. “I can certainly why you would consider me an inferior beast compared to your vast intelligence. Not many people would’ve built an underground city underneath a bunch of glaciers.”

The elder laughed. *You are wise, my friend.* he said. “Our language is called Cheunh.” he said. “It is very complicated, even our young sometimes have problems with it. My name is derived of that. The first part is unknown, even to me, but the second part ‘Drauir’o’ is what I am called and the last is the house of which I belong, Sabosen. As I said, Cheunh is intricate and delicate. Not many outsiders know it.”

Drauir’o raised an eyebrow and looked at Darath. “You have much confidence in this matter.” he stated. He regarded him for a moment before saying, “We shall see. I must admit, you intrigue me, Jayden Korr. Most outsiders would rather conquer than sit and dicuss or even debate. As I said, I see something within you. Why did you come to this planet?”

Revan looked at the house leader, than that of the people around him, most who also looked at him in curiousity. They would be truthful with him and therefore, he was truthful with them. He told them everything, from how he was a master in the Jedi Order and how he came to be the Lord of the Sith, and back to his second beginning as Jayden Korr.

He told them of his quest and how he had been looking for his strongholds when he was waylayed by the black mass and landed on the surface above. He then said he was also looking for any information on the True Sith, those ancient beings of the race who had disappeared somewhere in the Outer Rim.

At the mention of this, Darath asked, “Are these Sith like us, except with red skin and dark eyes?”

“Yes.” Revan breathed, surprised that the young man would even know about this.

Drauir’o calmly stood from his place and gestured at Revan to follow him. “Come.” he said. “I believe there is something you need to see.”

Revan rose, wondering what was to happen now. He followed the elder as he walked the streets, passing housings and intricate building structures. In one part, Revan could the carriage tunnels that Drauir’o spoke of and even some of the high powered speeders that seemed to be coming and going, but it wasn’t terribly busy like that of a Republic planet. When he looked ahead of him, he could see they were headed for a nearby tunnel.

Drauir’o approached a hovercar and got into the driver side, motioning for Revan to get into the passenger seat. “I believe the information you seek may be in our records.” he said, starting the car and heading through the tunnel.

“Where’re we going?”

“To our capitol city of Csaplar,” he replied. “It is where we hold our government, but it is also home to our library. Over the centuries and millennia, our people have recorded every planet, moon, and star system that we have ever traveled to. I believe in some of those there are documentation about the people of those planets, if they did exist.”

The car flew steadily through the tunnel, which was lighted by soft yellow lights. It wasn’t a long stretch of road and the trip took about five minutes and when they reached the capitol, Revan was truly amazed. It was almost like stepping on to Coruscant the first time.

There were great buildings of technological design and advancement, as well as beautiful art that decorated the city. There was a larger building to their left, which was where Drauir’o was headed.

It was at least three stories, with darkened windows that seem to reflect the beauty of the city back out. There were double doors at the entrance, which slid open upon their approach.

The interior was just as gorgeous as the exterior. There were sculptures and more art work hanging thorughout the first floor. In the center was a fountain, but unlike a normal fountain which gushed water, this one was a display of color, shooting out like stars and captivating the young man.

“It is impressive, yes?” asked the elder.

“I’ve never seen anything like it.” the knight whispered. “Have the Chiss been around long? I mean, have you been around since the Republic? Or are you…I don’t think I’m asking this correctly.”

“We Chiss have been around for millennia.” Drauir’o chuckled. “That is why we have such an extensive library.” The two walked to a turbo lift, the elder pushing the destination. They seemed to travel to the very top, which was where the elder man said they were when asked.

“This is the Expeditionary Library.” he stated, once they had left the turbo lift. The room was large, though slightly dim and had rows and rows of shelves. From where he stood, Revan could see tons of books.

“As I mentioned, any place a Chiss has gone is recorded in here, as well as the people that they have met.” he said. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of the young, but I believe the people you search for – these Sith – can be located here.” He went to a nearby shelf and removed a large book.

“This is the first volume of our explorations of the Outer Rim. There is an index, so that you may flip to a planet of your choice.” He flipped open the book, showing the hand written index.

“I will leave you alone during your search.” he said. “Many of our historians have stayed here during the night, so you will find lodgings in case you grow tired. I will come back for you in the morning to see how you are.” With that, he patted the young man on the back and left him.

Another year passed before Revan left the planet of Csilla. He had used that time to not only learn about the True Sith, who he now knew to be waiting somewhere within the darkness of the Unkown Regions, waiting for a chance to strike; but he had also learned about the Chiss.

True to his word, he learned their language and impressed many on the planet. He was able to meet the other people from the three different houses and even had meetings with them on government topics and military strategy.

He was a frequent visitor within the library, looking up the different planets the Chiss had gone to and had enveloped within their society. He had learned they nearly had conquered the Unknown Regions by themselves and that some of them had even encountered the species of Sith.

One explorer had said they could control the stars and heavens and that they used sorcery and magic to achieve their goals. Revan thought back to his encounter with the beings on Yavin and wondered if the med facility he had been in was in fact a laboratory.

The knowledge that these Sith were not only skilled in the dark side of the Force, but in alchemy as well definitely put fear within Revan. He had tried his best to reveal the information he had locked away in his head; he had even gone to Usk’sero, scientist to the house of Irokini, in order to try and unlock his hidden knowledge, with no success.

He noticed he hadn’t woken up in a fit of hidden fear, but he hadn’t had any visions either and for the first time, it worried him.

But he enjoyed his time on Csilla and definitely decided he would most likely enjoy returning one day with his friends in tow. For now, he knew he needed to head back to Yavin 4, in order to fully destory what he hadn’t the first time.

Then he would need to find more about what happened on Coruscant and this bounty on Jedi. The Chiss were nice enough to help fix his shuttle and he said goodbye to his new friends, prepared to head back to Yavin 4.